City wary of ‘different’ Ajax

Cape Town City captain Robyn Johannes feels Ajax Cape Town pose a very different threat ahead of the latest edition of the iKapa derby.

The two Mother City clubs clash at Cape Town Stadium on Saturday afternoon, with City boasting three wins in a row in previous meetings.

Yet with Ajax recently bringing in a number of new players, as well as a new coach in Muhsin Ertugral, Johannes is expecting a more challenging affair this time around.

“We are expecting a difficult game,” he said. “Ajax has a new coach and a new way of playing, but we have to bring our A-game, as we always do.

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“Muhsin has been around for ages. I’ve watched a couple of Ajax’s recent games, and you can see they have better structure, and are a better playing team. They have a lot of new players as well, so we are expecting a totally different Ajax. But we are not focused on them at all, we are focusing on ourselves and the job we have to do.

“For games like this we don’t need any motivation. We know we want to keep Cape Town blue as we always do.”

Having recently signed a pre-contract with Bidvest Wits, Johannes will be playing in his last Cape derby this weekend, and insists he’s as committed as ever to the club as he hopes to leave with his derby win record intact.

“The chairman understands the situation, and we had a long chat about it,” he said of his future move to Wits. “I’m fully committed to the club, as I was in the first match I played.

“Derby games are special – it’s not only about Ajax versus City, but our family and friends are the people we really want to please, so it’s not just about me, but the fans, family and friends out there. So yes, it’s my last one, but I want to make sure it’s four out of four.”